What did you do to/with your chainsaw today

Built6spdMCSS

Geezer
Jun 15, 2012
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Florida Beach
Helped one of my neighbors drop this tree. Right through it like butter. 261 in for the limbing.
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ck80

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Feb 18, 2014
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I'd like some votes on a saw purchase.

My old husky is in new england. My 2 stihls are stuck packed away 250miles out. Between gas and time, it's cheaper to buy something than spend gas and lost productivity.

Aside from limb duty around the house, I NEED to start figuring out dropping this guy.

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It's a really cool live oak but the truck is split twisted and rotted through its core, mushrooms included:

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Probably about 18-20" DBH sizing.

On the 'like' to drop list is this bad boy, same DBH:

20220607_130504.jpg



I just plain don't have time to sort out a broken saw, including time to mess with a saw someone gunked up with ethanol. So I'm probably relegated to new.

But I hate all the new emissions standard crap. Can't win.

I was leaning towards a ms250/ms251? Not sure. Thoughts that do NOT involve walmart, home depot, or lowes? (Or any such ilk?)
 
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Tomeal

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Apr 17, 2016
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Since you have a husky and Stihl already, you are familiar with them. Maybe get something that fills a spot you don't have. That way if the other saws come home, they all have a purpose.

I prefer Stihl. If you go on the larger end, I would say to consider something with the 3/8 chain.
 
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ck80

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Since you have a husky and Stihl already, you are familiar with them. Maybe get something that fills a spot you don't have. That way if the other saws come home, they all have a purpose.

I prefer Stihl. If you go on the larger end, I would say to consider something with the 3/8 chain.
Yep, my husky was originally bought new to clear land in New England. Dropped many a red oak, hemlock, and pine. I've left it up there both in expectation of future land again and because nothing down here had really rated bringing it down.

My stihls are just a very overworked and highly abused limb saw I got new and did things it shouldn't have been asked to, and, a basket case 291 that probably ought be retired but I can usually get it running and working, even if things like the chain brake no longer work and it tries to stall if you don't give it at least some throttle (doesn't like idle anymore either)... but, I bought the 291 used, cheap, so it owes me nothing.

So..... not really looking to slot it between anything, I'm treating it like a new start. Too bad joesregalproject is so far away, I could have just kidnapped one of his orphans out of the shed and been done with it.
 
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Built6spdMCSS

Geezer
Jun 15, 2012
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Defnitely not anything smaller than a 300 range for a Stihl saw. Tree that big you want to run a 25" bar to make the cut easier. See what you can find forsale in your local area, I've been seeing them all over here lately. 250/251 you'll be making more slow cuts than needed. If you have a whole day or two then you're fine but that is a small saw for a tree that big.

MS391 or a MS362 if you want the Pro Saw, either with a 25" bar. That would be my choice.

The one in my post above was a 20" oak tree that was well alive, my MS461 with a 25" bar murdered that thing. My MS362 with a 20" bar I used on a tree in my yard a few weeks ago, 18" tree that was a nice live oak that had to come down. Small saws are not for big work.
 
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Built6spdMCSS

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Jun 15, 2012
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Been a while since I've been in here. Picked up a new one to throw some money at. :)

Local guy, said he had it in his attic for a year, cut like one tree. It looks it. Pulled the Muffler Cover, Piston looked perfect. Started in 4 pulls like it should. Guy wanted $500 for it, I was on it. 🤘

Stihl MS461, made June 2020. Buddy of mine has a 25" ES Light Bar for me that he doesn't need, I'll clean it up and put a Dual Dog kit on it, mod the Muffler a little bit, see what it does.

MS461.jpg
MS461b.jpg
 
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Built6spdMCSS

Geezer
Jun 15, 2012
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Just ordered a 304 Stainless Dual Dog kit with the hardware, Stihl 25" Bar Scabbard, few 25" full chisel chains, and a West Coast Saws Bark Box for this. I'll cut the baffle out of the muffler housing before installing it.

Should run good. 🤘
 
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Built6spdMCSS

Geezer
Jun 15, 2012
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This thread is too quiet.. don't worry, I still love you guys. Some of you. :ROFLMAO:

Did some work today on the new MS461. Pulled the stock Muffler off and modded it.
Machined out the stock baffle and lowered the spark arrestor screen retaining bracket to give clearance for the new muffler cover coming in.

Before & after..

MUFFLER.jpg

MUFFLER2.jpg


Next was painting the whole thing with some good paint. Most of the time with these steel mufflers, the factory paint bakes off and you get a completly rusted out housing & cover. Looks like dogsh*t. The newer pro saws have stainless steel mufflers, the MS461 is a modernized older style, so steel muffler still. If they made a stainless one I'd be all over it.
This saw was still really new so the muffler had very little rust. I brushed it off, prepped the surface and put some good paint on it.

MUFFLER3.jpg


MUFFLER4.jpg


Looks MUCH better. The factory front cover will go in a box and in my parts bin, because the West Coast Saws Bark Box will be going on. 🤘

.065" Stainless tig welded part with a spark arrestor screen on the front too. Excellent made piece, I'm interested to see what it does. :)

MUFFLER5.jpg
 
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Built6spdMCSS

Geezer
Jun 15, 2012
5,694
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Florida Beach
Spent the last couple days cleaning all the parts up. Inspection looks good, tomorrow I'll pull the Carb restrictors and start putting it back together. 🙂

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These showed up 10 min ago, probably have a running saw tomorrow. 🤘

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